Island



(No Model.) 7

R. P. WINSOR.

CLOTH CLAMP FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY. No. 604,103. Patented May 17,1898.

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NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT P. WINS OR, OF AUBURN, RHODE ISLAND.

CLOTH-CLAMP FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 604,103, dated May 17,1898.

Application filed April 6, 1897- Serial No. 630,961. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT P. WINSOR, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Auburn, in the State of Rhode Island, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Cloth-Clamps for TextileMachinery, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to the cloth-clamps of tenters and othertextile-machines; and it consists in certain novel combinations of partshereinafter described and claimed, which are embodied in an improvedautomatic clamp of simple construction.

The leading objects of this invention are to render the improved clampequally applicable to both of the two styles of endless-chaintentering-machines now in common use, to render the same free from anylocking device, and to combine therein the advantageous qualities of thespring-clamps and automatic clamps heretofore separately used, so as torender it self-accommodating to different thicknesses of cloth and freefrom liability to injury by excessive strains and at the same timeselfadjusting with reference to the selvage ofthe cloth.

A distinguishing characteristic of the improved clamp results in a moreeffective toggle action in the movablej aw. The grippingpawl of this jawis adapted to travel with the stretched cloth, while the tension of thespring is gradually increased until said pawl reaches its position ofgreatest hold, when both jaws become unyielding in the direction of thecloth. The improved clamp is then in effect a spring-clamp, holding byfrictional contact with both sides of the cloth and by springpressure inan eifeotive manner, as hereinafter more fully set forth. i

A sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevation of myimproved cloth-clamp,showing the upper jaw moved back to permit the cloth to enter and alsoshowing in broken lines the position of the gripping-pawl of the upperjaw and its controller when the cloth has first entered and before thestretch of the cloth has drawn it from under the controller. Fig. 2represents a central cross-section on the line 2 2, Fig. 5, showing theparts of the clamp in normal positionwith the cloth clamped along itsselvage. Fig. 3 is a front view of the controller shown in Figs. 1 and 2detached. Fig.

' 4 is a like view of a modified controller, and

Fig. 5 is a front view of the clamp as shown in Fig. 2.

Like letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all thefigures.

The part lettered A is a link of a tenter chain; B, the rigid under jawof the clamp projecting from said link; 0, a gripping-pawl forming partof the movable upper jaw; D, a laterally-swinging arm attached at itslower end to the under jaw by a pivotb and to the upper end of said pawlby a pivot d, said pivot b being located beneath the cloth-support andclose behind the plane of said pawl in its effective position, Fig. 2,and S is a spring conveniently coiled around the horizontal pivot 19 andacting upon said arm D with the front bar of the under jaw B at itsabutment to return the upper jaw to said normal position and to hold thecloth by spring-pressure. A stop B on said under jaw B, engaged by aprojection at the lower end of said arm D, as in Fig. 2, supports thearm in said normal position. Itis forced back from this positiontemporarily, as in Fig. 1, to expose the cloth-support by a suitable camon a relatively-fixed part of the tentering-machine, and'to coact withsuch cam is provided in the drawings with a stud-pin F, carrying anantifrictionroller G.

When the arm D is restored to its normal position, Fig. 2, by the springS, the pawl C and controller E drop by gravity first into the positionin which they are shown by broken lines in Fig. 1, and when the selvageof the cloth is drawn from beneath the controller they drop into theposition in which they'are shown in Fig. 2.

As the cloth J is stretched the I pawl G is preferably permitted totravel outward therewith, as represented by the arrow a, Fig. 2, so asto become well seated on the cloth and to gradually increase its hold.The upward toggle-like pressure due to the changing angle of the pawl istransferred by the pivot d to the arm D and causes the latter to turn onits pivot 12, as represented by the arrow 00*, Fig. 2, so as to increasethe tension of the spring S, which reacts on the pawls, and the TO (Iincreased spring-pressure is made to determine the maximum resistance tothe strain, and thus to protect the parts against undue stress, as wellas to adapt the clamp to cloth of different thicknesses. A stop D on thearm D limits said travel of the pawl G with the cloth by engaging withsaid pawl, so as to arrest it in its most effective position. The clothis then held by the frictional contact of both jaws with the respectivesides of the cloth and by spring-pressure exerted by the spring Sthrough said arm D, pivot d, and pawl G.

The stops B and D are conveniently duplicated at the lateral ends of theclamp, as shown in Fig. 5; but their number and location are immaterial.

The relative locations of the pivotsb and d, as above described,facilitate exposing the cloth-support, as in Fig. 1, provide for saidtoggle action of the pawl O, and facilitate supplementing the spring Swith sufficient leverage to render the hold by spring-pressuresufficient, such leverage being determined by the greater distance fromthe pivot b to the point 00, Figs. 1 and 2,where the spring S pressesagainst the arm D, as compared with the distance from said pivot b tothe lower end of the pawl O in Fig. 2.

The upward pressure of the spring S against the arm D is converted intoa downward pressure at the pawl O by giving said arm a suitable curvedor equivalent shape, as represented in the drawings, which shape lendsitself to the accommodation of the controllerE within the concavity ofthe arm, as in Figs. 1 and 2. The spring S is at the same time solocated as to preclude its contact with the cloth or with the hands ofattendants.

The cloth-support is conveniently formed in customary manner by ahorizontal plate I-I, preferably of copper or brass, fixedly attached tothe top of the jaw B and adapted to coact with the controller E. Thespecific controller represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the drawingsis attached centrally to the pawl G by a swivel e and is constructedwith a pair of fingers f and g, matching which slots h and t, Fig. 5,are formed in said cloth-support plate H. When the cloth first entersthe clamp, the fingers f and g rest upon the cloth, as in broken linesin Fig. 1, and as the cloth is drawn outward the slots h and i admit thefingers f and g, which permits the pawl to grip the cloth, as abovedescribed, and shown in Fig. 2.

The enlargedlower ends of the fingers f and 9 cross the warp of thecloth at points some distance apart, and the swivel 6 permits them toequalize the pressure on the cloth, so as not to penetrate it, howeverthin the cloth may be. To further distribute the pressure of thecontroller upon the cloth, it may, in efthe controller two sets of theslots h and '5,

feet, be duplicated, as represented in Fig. 4, the swivel e attaching atop bar, to which a pair of attachments similar to the controller E,Fig. 3, are swiveled at e and e, and each of these attachments having apair of fingers f g and f g. With this construction of corresponding tothe two pairs of fingers f g and f g, must be made in the plate 11.

Having thus described said improvement, I claim as my invention anddesire to patent under this specification- 1. In a cloth-clamp, thecombination with the under jaw having a cloth-support of an upper jawswinging laterally to expose said support and comprising an arm pivotedbelow said support and a gripping-pawl pivoted to said arm above saidsupport and a spring pressing against said arm which restores the upperjaw to normal position, and acts upon said pawl through the medium ofsaid arm to hold the cloth by spring-pressure.

2. In a cloth-clamp, the combination with the cloth-support of an armpivoted below said support, a grippingpawl pivoted to said arm abovesaid support and having alimited travel with the cloth in the directionof stretch, and a spring, acting upon said pawl through the medium ofsaid arm to hold the cloth by spring-pressure and to determine thestrain to which the arm is subjected by the toggle action of the pawl.

23. In a cloth-clamp, the combination with a slotted cloth-support of acurved arm pivoted below said support, a gripping-pawl pivoted to saidarm above said support, a spring acting upon said pawl through themedium too of said arm to hold the cloth by spring-pressure and acontroller swiveled to said pawl and having fingers with enlarged endswhich cross thewarp and equalize their pressure while they rest upon thecloth, and drop through the slots in the cloth-support to locate thegrip of theIp'awl near the selvage.

4:. A cloth-clamp for textile machinery having an upwardly-pressingspring, a laterallyswinging lever-arm against which said spring r 10presses, and which converts such pressure into downward stress, agripping-pawl pivoted to the upper end of said arm and provided with asuitable controller, a cloth-support beneath said pawl, and stopslimiting the travel of said pawl with the cloth in the direction of itsstretch and arresting said arm in its normal position, substantially ashereinbefore specified.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

ROBERT P. WINSOR.

Witnesses:

GEO. A. STREETER, LOUIS L. ANGELL, AMY B. SUTOLIFFE.

